Monday, December 9, 2013

So much has happened since moving into our farmhouse. It took us four days to move. Our first night here, we only had heat in half the house. The fridge didn't arrive until 10 pm. Our Stove was here, but not operational until two days later. Several rooms were unfinished (and still are). Leaky pipes. Then frozen pipes. And the list goes on. There are definite challenges.

But determination and a lot of hard work, makes it all work out. Our wood furnace is finally working well. Thank goodness, because it has been downright frigid.

While Scott and Jon were building the coop, the wind was 20-30 mph.

But it was completed over a period of a week after Scott's workday, and our first batch of chickens were soon picked up.

Our Daughter in Law Stephanie Hull arrived for an extended stay. She jumped right in and help with the completion of the chicken run.

Our son Scott Jr. is in Afghanistan, and we thought it would be great to spend Thanksgiving with his wife Stepanie at our new home. We have enjoyed her company. Stephanie is such a devoted lady. Her strength is admirable.

We celebrated Jon's 17th Birthday when Stephanie arrived.

Thank you Schallert Family for our housewarming (chicken coop warming) gift of chickens.

The following week, Sheldon our Great Pyrenees, was picked up from a friend of a friend. He is now a vital part of our farm family. We also picked up more hens. It was an entertaining ride home, with a 100 pound new dog trying to get in the front seat, and chicken feathers flying everywhere. His head is bigger than mine, and we hadn't established a trust yet. Sheldon let me push his face back and out of the way, right then and there, I knew he was a gentle soul.

We received a gift from our hens, just a few days into having them in their new coop. I never thoguht I would be so excited to get our first eggs, but then again it has been a month of firsts. Every moment is memorable.

'Challenges, difficulties and thrilling moments' that seems to sum up the month....we have so many reasons to be grateful. And on Thanksgiving we celebrated and expressed our gratitude. We wished that all of our children could be with us. And maybe next year that will be possible.

So to all our children and their spouses; We love you and miss you! And we hope to share the holidays with you next year!!!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Waiting creates many opportunities for expectations; creating the perfect scenario for ideal situations to fall into place, allowing bliss to ensue. Yes, we have been waiting for a farm for two years and now that we finally have one within our grasp, our impatience has created expectations.

Now, don't get me wrong, positive thought projection and faith plays a enormous part of our world. The key is being pliable enough to bend with the change in wind. The end result is still the same, however the path meanders and creates its own route to the desired outcome.

Let me explain: Last weekend we went to the property to gather more firewood and check the progress of the repairs needed at the house in order to move in and begin our new homestead. We were immediately deflated by the reality of the 'snails pace' in the progress. Not just superficial things such as the railing and painting, but issues like HEAT & PLUMBING. We have no control of this, which made us feel helpless. Knowing that we have already given notice to our current residence, and the move in date for our new place may be pushed back by more than a week. You may think, "That's no big deal", but when that's 7 days past the vacate date of your current place, it becomes a lot of stress.

Our son Jon worked hard splitting and hauling wood last weekend.

Adding to that stress, snow was predicted early in the week and that was the flake that broke the camels back. We expected to be moved before the first snowfall. I wanted to be all settled in before the first snow, have the chicken coop built, and all the firewood gathered (and of course heat, etc) and watch the first snow fall out the kitchen window of our new farm house...with chickens meandering in the front yard.......... FAIL ! FAIL ! FAIL !

TIME TO REGROUP

As I watched the snow fall from the kitchen window of our current residence, with only the neighbors dog meandering on a chain. The realization hit me, I created this expectation and disappointment. I wanted everything to fall into place in my time frame. And when it didn't, I grew impatient, disconnected and felt defeated.

Amid the boxes and clutter (we quickly outgrew this place more than a year ago), I went into the kitchen, found my good china and made a cup of decadent Caramel Hot Chocolate. I pushed aside more boxes in the garage and made myself a place to view the pretty snowfall under the cover of the garage door....sipped my drink and took it all in. It was time to let the anxiety go. We have found our property and we WILL be moving in, and we will let GOD and the UNIVERSE take away the rest of the worries.

Our moving date will remain the same! No, it's not perfect. It may snow again the day we move...The house probably wont be done, and we will have workers at the house for a month or two. BUT....it's our place, and it's gonna be just fine. We will embrace it as another interesting facet to our ever changing world. BRING IT ON....WE are ready to move!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Changing Seasons at 365 Days On A Farm

Those that have been following us for awhile know that we have been quiet and in the planning stages of our New Homestead. After closing the storefront, and starting the online presence, we have made some changes. We will be moving our family and 365 to a new location. A place to develop our vision and our future. "Will our storefront reopen?" That is the question I hear most often....the answer is "YES", but this part of our life will be morphing too. We are moving more into the world of Fiber and Spinning/Weaving Supplies. Of course we will have some specialty Hand Spun Yarn and a bit of Hand Dyed Mill spun as always. (that's the really fun stuff) . We have a webpage established at 365daysonafarm.com for our sales and service. And although there will be some links to our 365 website, this blog serves to chronicle our adventure and share it with our readers, not to use this blog as a spring board for sales. We will keep you updated on the upcoming improvements and changes and will take a look into what we have been up to over the last year.

(Our Wedding Day) Our family has also grown, so many new family members we will introduce them all to you! We are truly blessed! This blog will also change; besides being active again. There will be shared homesteading ideas and failures. Knitting and crochet ideas for fun and function. Gardening projects. Recipes and Essential oil trials and triumphs.

Some of us are new at this, so please understand we are not an instructional site for beginning Homesteaders. The purpose of this blog is to share our experience, as it is exciting and fun for us as an everyday family scratching and exploring into the world of Homesteading. So join us, and follow along on our 365 Homestead Journey. Day one Starts in just under two weeks. This last weekend Scott and I went to the property (AGAIN, yes) to clear some brush and fallen trees near the pond. There is a lot of work to be done, but we are proud and anxious to get started. We have a small beginning for our firewood, all baby steps in the big plan. This week I will be packing and organizing. We have found a perfect house to blend two wonderful families together. WHO is other family? You ask? Well, that will be revealed in the near future.